The Burning Towers
by Louisiana Stephenic
Summary: This is the end. There's no going back for John and Sherlock now. All four detectives will be pushed to their limits, trust will be exploited and fears amplified. This isn't a case to find a murderer, it is a fight for the survival of their partnerships and their lives. Everything is about to change.
1. Chapter 1

The city looked like he'd remembered; the braziers on every corner casting the wide streets in a strange combination of light and dark, the large mansions towering high and regal above the dirtied maze like squabbles of the unimportant, and lastly the center piece of the city: _the burning towers_.

It all set alight a smoldering fire that burned in his veins. A fire that had come so close to expulsion was finally strong once more.

Even the smell was familiar to Vincent Cessation. Up high as he was, the air smelled of burning pines, but down bellow at street level he would enjoy the scent of fear, sweat and terror that wafted into every crevice. He smiled, taking in the moonlit city that he loved.

"You promised us we'd have them and they're gone. You better follow through or I swear you'll regret it!" Jack _the Ripper_'s voice interrupted Cessation's reflection.

He turned away from the beautiful sight before him and left his spacious balcony. He entered the bronze study that Moriarty and Jack had cornered him in. He brushed his hand slowly over the spines of the books that lined every wall, swirling his cognac with his left hand. The heat seeped from it and he smiled fondly. His favorite brew, all his old books, even his favored servants had been brought back for him. By the time he'd reached his home, everything had been back where it'd belonged.

"You promised me Miss Cain!" Jack raged, finally managing to attract Cessation's full attention. "I helped you, I killed countless woman to store up enough power to bring you here. I want my reward!"

"As do I." Moriarty added. "Sherlock is mine."

"Gentlemen," Cessation silenced them, "the search has not stopped. The King's men are out looking for them."

He settled down on the crimson couch that adorned the room. "You must simply be patient."

"I'm not a patient man." Moriarty drawled.

"The King has been incredibly generous to you. I suggest you wait and enjoy the pleasures that have been given to you." Cessation was bored of the two men, their fighting and whining, but if he was one thing, he was honorable. He would fulfill his promises.

"I can't wait." Jack growled. "I've given up my world for you and now I want what is mine!"

"Enough!" Cessation order, surging to his feet. "There is nothing anyone can do to make the search go faster. Why don't you leave with the search groups to find them? Leave me in peace."

The two mercenaries paused and exchanged looks. _How small their minds must be. _

"That might be good." Jack said slowly. "Yes I think we will do that."

"Then get going before the sand storm hits." He dismissed them and they left, barely remembering to bow.

Cessation stared after them and held out his glass, it was immediately filled. _They were fools really_. They would die without a fight. It was sad that most people were like that. "Denever."

A shadow previously unseen stepped into the light, Cessation's invisible companion.

"Yes my lord?" The large man bowed his head.

"Follow Jack the Ripper." Cessation ordered. "Make sure he doesn't interfere with my priorities."

The man smiled. "Always my lord."

He was gone before Cessation could turn around but he expected nothing less.

A crooked smile crossed his face. He was home, finally. He downed his drink and exited the room, striding through the corridors as seamlessly as he once did. He felt stronger with ever step, more in control, more at ease.

He knew no one would look at him the same as they once did. Everyone was watching, waiting to see it they could stick a knife in his back. Even his once loyal servants were spies now. He would have to show them that nothing had changed. They were in for a shock, all of them.

_Duke Vincent Aema Cessation was back. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay lovely loyal skuttlebugs, here is the next chapter. Sorry for the long update time but I've just started my last year of school and any time I'm not studying I'm sleeping or looking up courses for the future. I wasn't too sure where this story was going but I knew the general direction. Hopefully my updates will be more frequent but I can't make any promises :)**

**Thanks to ****everyone ****who has reviewed, followed or favorited this story you're support really makes me write more so please keep it up!  
>Enjoy this chapter….. <strong>

Valkyrie was thirsty. She wasn't used to being thirsty. She'd always had water nearby but now with her magic out she couldn't manipulate the water in the air. The symbols carved into her wrists had stopped itching, finally, but she couldn't stop staring at them. The swirl with the line through it stared back at her tauntingly. She wore half of her handcuffs on her wrist to bind her magic. Whenever she removed it her magic attacked her, boiling her blood in her veins.

And so she was left to die of thirst with Sherlock walking next to her, the worst conversationalist in the world.

"You know, when Skulduggery and I are on a stake out we play games to keep our morale up." She told him, shading her eyes with her hand.

"Yes I've heard that cops generally do that." Sherlock replied.

"Wanna play a game?" She smiled hopefully.

"I think we had better remain silent to conserve our energy and fluids." He dismissed her.

She sighed. _He was sooo boring. _

At least now they had a goal though instead of walking mindlessly in any direction. Approximately an hour ago they'd noticed some sort of an object on the horizon. As they got closer they'd agreed that it was a small town. With the threat of dehydration they hurried along, keeping quiet because of Sherlock's suggestion.

"What happens if there isn't a well there?" Valkyrie asked.

"I know several survival tactics that will help us." Sherlock answered. "However the likelihood of surviving long enough for them to work is not high at all."

"You fill me with confidence." She sighed and rubbed her painful eyes. They were dry.

After another hour of walking they reached the walls of the village. The wall was made of compacted sand. It surrounded a small village of stone medieval houses. It appeared however abandoned.

Doors hung on their frames, several houses were nothing but rubble and any form of life had been obliterated. Wind whipped through the streets, moaning and howling like the dead. Their muffled footsteps echoed around the square. The deserted place was like a ghost town, it creeped Valkyrie out.

"The well is here." Sherlock stepped up beside a large hole in the ground surrounded by stones. It wasn't what she was expecting.

"Just tell me it's not dried up." She begged.

Sherlock found a battered looking barrel and tied a fraying rope around it before lowering it down. She almost shouted for joy when she heard the splash of the bucket hitting the water. She grinned and turned away as he started pulling it up.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Someone was watching them. She spun searching the windows of the nearby houses.

"How long do you think this place has been deserted?" She asked, her voice unnaturally loud in the square.

"Several years I imagine." Sherlock answered as he finished pulling the bucket up. "Good news, it's drinkable."

She hurried back to him as he finished drinking. He passed it to her and she relished the feeling of liquid sliding down her throat. She knew well enough not to scull it since she was dehydrated. She sipped it slowly.

Something crashed behind them and she jumped, knocking the water to the ground. Her eyes darted everywhere, desperately searching for the source of the noise.

"A large cat of some kind?" She hoped.

"Unlikely." Sherlock told her.

"You couldn't be a little more optimistic." She growled.

"I'm just being realistic." He hissed.

They both froze, eyes moving slowly and carefully around the square. Seconds passed, minutes passed. Finally Valkyrie chuckled nervously. She smiled and relaxed her stance slightly.

"Must have been the wind." She shrugged.

"I don't like it." Sherlock stated. "We must find higher ground. We can't leave this village until we find a way to carry water."

She held up a hand to shield her eyes and looked at the surrounding buildings. She spotted it, a guard tower up high on the surrounding wall. It was in a perfect position. It'd have a good view of the entrance to the village and of the square with the well.

"Up there." She pointed it out and he nodded.

Sherlock filled the bucket once more while Valkyrie kept watch on the surrounding roads. She was still on edge. Sherlock had been right when he said it wasn't a big cat. It had been something much darker and with a darker purpose in mind.

They moved off in silence yet again. Boring, non companionable silence. It was times like these that she realized just how interesting and entertaining Skulduggery truly was. She missed him. Of course she'd never admit that.

The guard tower was perfectly intact and there was no fear of the staircase collapsing under them as they climbed it. She marveled at how strong the stairs was. They were made of compact sand with a structure of wooden boards to ensure its stability. It was ingenious really except for the labor needed to create it.

She knew that slaves were used in this kind of building. It both disgusted and impressed her.

Suddenly Sherlock stopped, a hand held up in warning. She stood on her toes and looked over his shoulder. A rat man lay sprawled on the floor, _the _Ratman.

Sherlock walked in, checking either side of the room. Valkyrie just walked up to the sleeping man and kicked his leg hard.

The man was instantly awake. He scrambled away from her, eyes wide in terror. "Please don't_, I didn't do…."

Valkyrie held her hands up to calm him. "Whoa, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you, much."

His relaxed instantly and his head collapsed backwards in exhausted relief. "You're not her. Oh thank the gods, you're not her." He laughed bitterly.

She frowned however. The ratman was terrified of someone. His right eye was swollen shut, his lips cut and bleeding, and blood was running down his right forearm. Someone had beaten him up. She knelt down in front of him, forcing a sympathetic expression onto her face.

"Who did this to you?" She asked gently.

He shook his head. "The demon. This is her village and I entered it. When you enter it, you don't leave."

"We didn't see any demons here. It's just an empty village."

"The Demon killed everyone here. Killed a whole battalion." He shook his head determinedly. "But if you haven't seen her yet, you, you can get out. Leave before she knows you're here, take me with you please?"

Sherlock stopped looking around the single room and stared at the man. "We want you to shunt us back home."

"I can't." The man whimpered. He began crying. He pulled up his sleeve revealing new cuts carved into his skin. It was the symbols that had been carved into her wrists, these were unnervingly fresh. "Slave marks. My magic is gone!"

"Now you know how I feel." Valkyrie snapped angrily. "Wait, what do you mean _slave_?"

"They're the symbol of a slave!" He cried desperately. "It cuts the magic off and binds it violently around your body, preventing any means of escape. I used to be a Lord! Lord I tell you!"

"Just be quiet for a minute." Valkyrie interrupted. He looked pathetic to her, miserable and stupid. He didn't deserve whatever he got. She turned to Sherlock. "If there is some kind of a demon here we better be ready for it."

"She." Sherlock corrected. "Not it. He called the demon a she."

"Your friends will be able to help us." Ratman shouted. "They'll help you."

"They're not here!" Valkyrie yelled back. "Now just be quiet please."

"They are." The man sighed. "I brought them here, to save you, to stop Cessation."

Valkyrie paused. "What did you say?"

"I used a binding circle to connect them to the shunt. They're here and they'll help us, they have to." He muttered.

She turned away from him and to Sherlock. "If Skulduggery is here then we'll be saved soon. We just have to keep away from the _demon_, until he gets here. Maybe we should leave Ratman and hide somewhere else."

Sherlock shook his head. "Whoever the demon is they already know we're here. This is a good vantage point from practically every angle."

"So we stay. Great." She shivered as the sun begun going down. The temperature would drop below comfort level soon. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and sat down in the corner, facing the window.

Silence fell over the small group. Ratman curled up where he was again, eyes darting left and right. Whatever had attacked him had terrified him. She suspected he would never fully recover.

Sherlock sunk to the ground beside her and they both watched in inevitable silence as the sun crept slowly below the horizon. The space around them became black and cold. It would be a hard, scary night.

"We should probably sleep in shifts." Valkyrie whispered. "In case something attacks us."

"You can sleep first." Sherlock answered, not bothering to be quiet. "I'll wake you when it's your turn."

She nodded then realized he probably couldn't see her. "Alright. I warn you though I can be angry when awoken."

"I'm sure you can't be worse than John." He replied.

She smiled briefly before lying down, resting her head on her arm and closing her eyes. Her muscles hurt from the long walk, and she missed the coolness of Ireland. It had practically been two weeks since she'd been back home in Gordon's house, and she missed Tanith.

Normally she didn't mind being away but when lying beneath a completely different sky, a different moon, she felt so far away from her life.

"Thank you by the way." Sherlock's voice interrupted her sorrowful thoughts.

"For what?"

"Back at the apartment when Cessation did that thing." He explained. "And for helping me walk in the desert."

She shrugged. "It was nothing. I couldn't have let you die and I couldn't have left you there. I really had no choice."

"There are always choices."

She looked up at where she assumed his head would be. Through the impenetrable darkness she imagined him staring blankly in front of him, his mind focusing on a memory she couldn't grasp. She wondered what he was thinking.

"What was it like? Bleeding like that?" She easily remembered him shaking and convulsing, blood seeping from his nose, mouth, eyes and ears. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. The helplessness of just watching had been too much.

"It felt like my blood was on fire." Sherlock whispered. "Like a lake of burning molten lava desperate to escape from my veins."

They were silent.

She closed her eyes again, exhausted from traveling the flat dry everlasting plains of this strange hostile new world.

**Alrighty, please leave a review and I'll try to bring you another chapter as soon as possible :D Hope you enjoyed it!  
>REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! <strong>


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